


A Study in Patience

by methylviolet10b



Category: Sherlock Holmes & Related Fandoms, Sherlock Holmes - Arthur Conan Doyle
Genre: Canon-Typical Violence, Whump
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-07-17
Updated: 2014-07-17
Packaged: 2018-02-09 05:44:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 350
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1971120
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/methylviolet10b/pseuds/methylviolet10b
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sherlock Holmes is a patient man. Written for JWP #16.</p>
            </blockquote>





	A Study in Patience

**Author's Note:**

> Warnings: Whew, I've no idea where this came from. Rather dark. And absolutely no beta. This was written in a complete rush. You have been warned.
> 
> JWP #16: Words of Wisdom. "Beware the fury of a patient man." (John Dryden)

In his fanciful chronicles, Watson often portrays me as mercurial, rapid, quick to think and quick to act. And there is some truth to this. But not the entire truth, or anything close to it. For I am, in general, a very patient man. I could not excel in chemistry or criminal investigation if I did not have vast stores of patience.  
  
Chemistry requires exact timing, but also requires patience. Quantitative analysis of salts is not done in an instant, but takes painstaking research and time; this is still more true in the long journey between hypothesized chemical test and the actual creation of same.  
  
Similarly, while Watson writes of the moments of excitement and danger in his tales, he never mentions the weeks or months – and in at least three memorable cases, years – of investigation required to bring a case to a crisis. I have spent long days in disguise, huddled on a street corner or in some filthy tavern, waiting nearly motionless for the chance word or encounter that leads to a development.  
  
And it goes almost without saying that one does not master the violin without a great deal of practice – and patience.  
  
No, I have patience enough when needed. It is indeed a virtue of mine. And when I am certain Watson is past the crisis and on the road to recovery, why then I shall personally involve myself in the investigation into who laid him low. I have already set my Irregulars and my informants on the scent, but I do not expect them to do all the work. I shall discover who the bully-boys were that set upon him at the end of his rounds, and who masterminded the attack. And I shall hunt them down most patiently indeed. I will take all the time necessary to discover them, each and every one, no matter how they may try to cover their tracks, hide in their supposedly safe places.  
  
And then – well, I can be quite patient and methodical when determining a punishment that fits the crime. Some virtues are worth employing in full.


End file.
